Sergeant David Spiden

Sergeant, Flight Engineer, David Christie Spiden, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was lost on an Air Operation to Essen with 115 Squadron Royal Air Force on 25th October 1944, aged 27. He had been born in Berwick-upon-Tweed and was the son of John Tunnah and Mary Spiden of 4 The Crescent,Duns and is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. His Headstone is inscribed ” Dearly Beloved Son Of John And Mary Spiden, Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland “.  He had been educated at the Berwickshire High School, Duns before going to work for the Post Office. When he enlisted in June 1940 he was working in Hawick. 115 Squadron was a Main Force Bomber unit , flying the Avro Lancaster and operated from R.A.F. Witchford near Cambridge. During the War the Squadron flew the second highest number of operations ( 288) and dropped the second highest weight of bombs, 23,000. It also lost over 200 aircraft during the course of the war. His Lancaster was numbered PD276 KO-X and all the crew were lost. He was educated at the Berwickshire High School, Duns and is also commemorated on the Memorial Tablet placed in the new High School, Duns.